Aviation professionals who have been in the industry for many years may remember a time when incandescent lights were the gold standard for runway lighting systems.

However, like much of the technology from bygone eras, incandescent lamps have reached their practical limits when operating in today’s modern airports. Yet many airports still rely on incandescent lights to manage and guide air traffic on their runways and taxiways.

In this month’s blog, we make the case why all airports, regardless of size, location, or capacity, should upgrade their lighting systems to advanced LED technology sooner rather than later. 

Incandescents No Longer Meet The Needs Of Modern Aviation

For decades, incandescents performed well in runway environments. However, as airport operators strive to improve efficiency, expand capacity, and slash budgets, the high power consumption, short lamp life, frequent maintenance cycles, and performance degradation associated with incandescents make meeting operational goals more difficult.

Incandescent bulbs are also notoriously energy inefficient, producing more heat than light. Higher energy consumption also places additional strain on constant current regulators, cabling, isolation transformers, and other components that are expensive to maintain and disruptive to replace.

More critically, incandescent lamps often fail unpredictably due to their vulnerability to vibration, thermal cycling, and moisture ingress, resulting in operational disruptions and additional labor costs. 

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How LED technology Solves The Challenges Posed By Incandescents

LEDs do more than just make incremental improvements on incandescents; they offer numerous cost-effective advantages that have transformed aviation in general, such as:

Reduced Maintenance Work And System Downtime

One of the most significant ways LEDS have changed how airports run their runway lighting systems is their service life. LEDs typically last tens of thousands of hours, far exceeding the hundreds of hours of incandescents, resulting in significantly fewer lamp replacements. Even more so, LEDs impact the entire maintenance model by reducing lighting failures, thereby lessening the need for inspections, emergency repairs, and wear on associated electrical infrastructure.

For contractors and in-house maintenance teams, this translates into predictable maintenance planning rather than reactive troubleshooting. 

Improved Energy Efficiency

The energy savings of LED runway lighting are well known, but the real value lies in how the technology uses significantly less power for superior photometric performance, which changes how the entire lighting circuit behaves.

For example, LEDs deliver consistent light output throughout their service life rather than degrading gradually, supporting longer compliance with photometric requirements.

LEDs’ energy efficiency also helps airports meet their set emissions targets and participate in broader sustainability mandates without compromising safety or reliability.

Improved Visibility In Adverse Conditions

LED technology offers superior performance in beam control, color consistency, and visibility when pilot visibility is affected by adverse weather or low-light conditions. 

A critical feature of LED bulbs is that they don’t illuminate their entire surrounding area, but rather allow for direct aiming that improves pilot perception during critical phases of flight, particularly in low-visibility conditions such as fog, rain, or snow.

Reduced Total Cost Of Ownership 

The upfront cost of LED runway lighting remains higher than that of incandescent lighting. However, focusing solely on initial capital investment misses the broader financial picture. 

When airport operators need to consider reductions in energy consumption, maintenance labor, spare parts, system downtime, and component lifespan, they typically discover that the total cost of ownership of LEDs is actually lower than incandescents. The ROI period varies by application and operating hours, but many airports achieve meaningful returns well within the equipment’s expected service life.

Consider Upgrading To LEDs To Start Reaping The Benefits Sooner

We believe that LED upgrades aren’t a cost, but an investment in the long-term financial and operational health of your airport.

Much of that is because legacy incandescent systems are increasingly hard to justify. Rising maintenance costs, aging infrastructure, and increasing operational demands all expose the weaknesses of these older, outdated systems.

Additionally, as your airport capacity grows, LEDs can seamlessly integrate with advanced technology such as an Airport Lighting Control and Monitoring System. Future-proofing your system now will pay dividends when you execute your expansion plans.

When you’re ready to upgrade to LEDs, talk to the experts at Airport Lighting Company. Our deep expertise with airfield electrical systems not only connects you with compliant lighting and electrical products but also helps inform design decisions that reduce risk and maximize returns over decades of service.

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